11 December 2024
Scream of Fear (1961)
81 min.
Directed by Seth Holt.
With Susan Strasberg, Christopher Lee, Ronald Lewis, Ann Todd, John Serret, Leonard Sachs, Anne Blake.
This exceptional Hammer thriller boasts some genuine chills and a few plot surprises.

Young invalid Penny (Strasberg) is summoned to her home estate by her father, but arrives to find him missing. Curious.

Then...pop's dead body seems to have a nasty habit of turning up propped about in various rooms!

Is fragile Penny simply an overimaginative gal?

Or could polite stepmother Todd be hiding a terrible secret?

Beautifully shot horror, with some effective and suspenseful sequences (Bob's discovery of the transient body deep in the dirty house pool is a nice moment).

Great performances from all involved, most notably from pretty Strasberg as well as Todd. Lee is underused, but the action so efficient and the pacing so superb, you'll hardly notice.

The double twist ending remains fresh today.

Also known as Taste of Fear.

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